The tiny fragment, written in Egyptian Coptic, contains a purported reference by Jesus to his wife. New evidence dates it to between the sixth and ninth centuries.Bridget Mary's Response;Mr. and Mrs. Jesus, now doesn't that sound wonderful!

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-warns-against-the-dictatorship-of-narrow-thought/Bridget Mary's Response:I agree completely with Pope Francis's homily. However, I'd like to see him apply the "dictatorship of narrow thought" to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and their failures to affirm the freedom of conscience of many Catholics today who are living in prophetic obedience to the Spirit including Roman Catholic Women Priests and our supporters. The Pope needs to acknowledge the elephant in his own living room and to challenge the Vatican to back off the modern day Inquisition!Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

This Week's Pick:Secrets of the Vatican: FRONTLINE's February 2014 film
exploring the scandals that rocked Benedict's papacy, including clergy sex
abuse, and illuminating the challenges facing Pope Francis as he tries to reform
the powerful Vatican bureaucracy.Why Watch
Now? Today, in
a speech to members of the International Catholic Child Bureau, Pope Francis
made one of his strongest statements yet on clergy sex abuse, calling it "evil,"
saying that he feels compelled to "personally ask for forgiveness" from victims,
and stating that sanctions "must be imposed" on clergy who abuse
children.Where to
Watch: Online
at pbs.org/frontline/secrets-of-the-vatican/

"Former President Jimmy Carter has revealed that Pope Francis told him in a correspondence that the future status and role of women in the Roman Catholic Church should be "improved or enhanced."

In an interview with Time magazine, Carter said he wrote a letter to Pope Francis urging the church to do more to denounce atrocities like genital mutilation and, in some societies, the continued practice of child marriage, and he was pleased with the response.

"His letter was very gracious to me, his response. He said that he thought that the status of women and the role of women in the Catholic Church in the future should be improved or enhanced. I was very pleased to get that response," Carter said.

"I noticed that now, about 10 days ago, Pope Francis appointed an eight-person committee to deal with the problem of priests abusing children. Half of the committee members were women, one of whom had been abused as a girl by a priest."

Carter said he hoped to have the chance to meet the Pope.

"If he comes to the United States, I'd like very much to meet him. If I go to Italy, I will certainly request to meet with Pope Francis, whom I admire very much."

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Former Dominican Priest and author of dozens of books on spirituality, Matthew Fox, has a new blockbuster book out: Letters to Pope Francis, Rebuilding a Church of Justice and Compassion which outlines a reform/renewal agenda for Pope Francis.In the section on revisioning the sacrament of ordination and priesthood, he affirms that Jesus did not ordain anyone at the Last Supper and agrees with historians that the priesthood developed in the second century. He states; "I have proposed that the basic meaning of priesthood, its archetypal power is as a "midwife of grace" I propose that if anyone is doing good work among us, work that qualifies as a midwife of grace, that person is a priest."

Albany Inclusive Catholic Community Liturgy are April 7, 2014 liturgy .Mary Theresa Streck, ARCWP is one of the presiders in this community.

Matthew goes on to make the case that "such people need instruction in the experiences of grace...The need to get in touch with their mystical selves and prophetic dimensions of their work."He challenges Pope Francis to get rid of seminaries, in his words, "do away with the "hothouse atmosphere of make- believe clerical worlds." "Let them learn of the mystical and prophetic paths, "Fox pleads, "elbow to elbow, and shoulder to shoulder with the artists, therapists, social workers, teachers activists and others who are learning it...And working with the poor and not just others involved in formal education. "I highly recommend this book for folks interested in renewing and reforming the Roman Catholic Church. I believe that our international Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement is offering a new paradigm that affirms a renewed priestly ministry in a community of equals. We offer an inclusive sacramental ministry with the people of God. In our grassroots communities we are working to rebuild a church of justice and compassion where all are welcome and all celebrate the sacraments. One example, the community prays the Eucharistic Prayer and shares in the dialogue homilies. In my local Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community, we have ordained and non-ordained co-presiders who function together in liturgical planning and leadership. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

"The Italian bishops' conference encouraged its members to cooperate with civil authorities in cases of clerical sexual abuse, but said the bishops have no legal obligation to report abuse allegations to the police or other civil authorities.

In addition, the new Italian church norms say the bishops "are exonerated" from releasing to the state documents in their possession or information connected with abuse cases.

Because a bishop is not a public official and is not charged with duties of "public service, he does not have the juridical obligation -- save for a moral duty to contribute to the common good -- to report to civil judicial authorities news he has received concerning illicit matters" of sex abuse, the guidelines said...""The guidelines also stated that the Holy See and the Italian bishops' conference as a whole hold "no responsibility, direct or indirect, for eventual cases of abuse."

Bridget Mary's Response:

What a cop out! The Vatican and bishops hold the top administrative positions in the church! How can they claim "no responsibility, direct or indirect...etc.?

So much for transparency and accountability in the Catholic Church!
The Vatican is quick to punish women priests and our supporters, but does nothing to pressure the Italian bishops to turn over priests abusers as a matter of justice and care for Catholic youth who are victimized by clergy. Jesus would weep at this sad state of affairs.
Where is their pastoral heart reflecting the Heart of Christ's love and compassion?

Monday, April 7, 2014

Ethics
in the dominant society are utilitarian and anthropocentric. That is: society's
ethics accepts the illusion that nature's beings only have reason to exist to
the degree they serve human beings, and that humans can dispose of them at will.
Humans consider themselves the kings and queens of creation.

The Judeo-Christian tradition reinforced this
idea with its "subdue the Earth and dominate all that lives and moves upon
Her” (Gn 1,28).

Now we know that we humans were among the
last beings to enter the scene of creation. When it was 99.98% complete, we
appeared. The universe, the Earth and her eco-systems did not need us to
organize themselves and to arrange their majestic complexity and
beauty.

Each being has intrinsic value, independent
of the use we make of it. Each being is a manifestation of that background
Energy, as the cosmologists say, or of that Abyss generator of all beings. Each
being has something to reveal that only that being, even the least adapted, can
do, and after that, through natural selection, it will forever disappear. But it
is important for us to listen to and celebrate the message which that being
reveals to us.

Gravest, however, is the idea all modernity
and much of the contemporary scientific community have about planet Earth and
nature. They consider them a simple “res extensa”, something that can be
measured, manipulated, and according to Francis Bacon's rude
language,«tortured as the inquisitor does to his victims, until he has forced
out all their secrets». The prevailing scientific method largely maintains
that aggressive and perverse logic.

Rene Descartes sets forth in his Discourse
on Method something of aclamorous reductionism in understanding: «I do
not understand for “nature” a goddess or any other type of imaginary power;
instead, I use that word to mean matter». Descartes considers the planet as
something inert, without purpose, as if human beings were not part of that
nature.

The fact is that we entered the process of
evolution when it had already reached a very high level of complexity. Then,
human life arose, conscious and free, as a subchapter of life. Through us the
universe gained consciousness of itself. And that occurred in the miniscule
part of the universe that is the Earth. This is why we are that portion of the
Earth who feels, loves, thinks, cares and venerates. As the Argentinean
singer-songwriter Atahualpa Yupanqui says, "We are the Earth that
walks".

Our specific mission, our place in the whole
of life, is to be those who can appreciate the grandeur of the universe,
who can listen to the messages that every being articulates, and who can
celebrate the diversity of beings and of life.

And as the carriers of sensibility and
intelligence, we have an ethical mission: to care for creation and to be her
guardians so that she may continue with vitality and integrity and under
conditions allowing her to continue evolving as she has done for 4.4 billion
years. Thanks be to God, the Biblical author, for correcting the text we quoted
above, who says in the second chapter of Genesis: “The Lord took the human
being and placed him in the Garden of Eden(the original Earth) for him to
cultivate and care for it” (Gn 2,15).

Regrettably, we are not good at fulfilling
this mission, because as biologist E. Wilson says «humanity is the first
species of the history of life that has turned out to be a geophysical force;
the human being, that biped being, such an air-brain, has already altered the
atmosphere and the weather of the whole planet, diverting them far from their
usual norms; spreading thousands of toxic chemical substances throughout the
world, and leaving us on the verge of exhausting our drinking water” (A
Criação: como salvar a vida na Terra, 2008, 38). Sorrowful at seeing this,
and living under the threat of a nuclear apocalypse, Norberto Bobbio, the great
Italian philosopher of the law and democracy, asked himself: «Does humanity
deserve to be saved?» (Il Foglion. 409, 2014, 3).

If we do not want to be expelled from Earth
by the Earth herself, as enemies of life, we must change our behavior towards
nature, but above all, we must embrace the Earth as the United Nations did in
April, 2009, as Mother Earth, to care for her as such, and to recognize and
respect the history of every being, living or inert. They existed millions and
millions of years before us, and without us. Therefore, they must be respected
as we do the elderly, people we treat with respect and love. More than we, they
have a right to the present and to the future, together with us.
Otherwise, neither technology nor promises of unlimited progress can save
us.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

left to right, Judy Kim, Carol Ann and Bridget Marysecond row, Jenai, Sherry, Lee and Kevin,Yvonne Aarden took photo. On April 6th, 8 members of Mary Mother of Jesus gathered with Kimberly Braun, a spiritual leader and author to meditate on the integration and transformation of the feminine and masculine in the mystical tradition and in our life experiences. Carol Ann and Lee Breyer, a married priest couple, who co-preside at our liturgies, hosted a festive brunch at their home on the Manatee River in Ellenton, Florida.

Carol Ann and Lee Breyer, a married priest couple, who co-preside at our liturgies, hosted a festive brunch at their home on Manatee River in Ellenton, Florida.

The community blessed Kevin and Judy Connelly on their 45th wedding anniversary.

Before departing we blessed Kim who is leaving our area later this month. She will continue her retreat and spirituality ministry in Colorado. Bridget Mary Meehan, www.marymotherofjesus.org